Travel Diaries | A Trip to Paris, France

In October of 2015, a friend and I took a trip to Paris, France. This trip was our first big trip to a foreign place. We knew we wanted to go somewhere adventurous and foreign because we wanted it to be unforgettable. This trip was planned very last minute. We for sure had to have this trip during our winter breaks, but we were just waiting and searching for the right deal. Finally, we found a deal on YYZDeals and nabbed it quickly. And so, our big girl adventures to Paris had just begun.

To shed some light, we have had mandatory french classes from grade 4-9, but none of us are actually fluent in french. Even if we were grade A students, we’d lack the familiarity with the accents. French we heard in classes was no where close to the French we heard in Paris. As a result, if it weren’t for the people who were bilingual in Paris, we would be very lost. During our time there, we didn’t have our phones. Well, to be accurate, our phones didn’t have data, texting, or calling. All we had was the support from some wifi hotspots and multiple screenshots of maps. As you can imagine, getting around Paris was really frustrating because many streets were diagonal or hard to navigate. Trying to get around Paris made me miss New York’s simple street system. However, the frustration was well worth the views.

I do have to say though, compared to Texas and Canada, Paris was very cold. I can’t even believe I said Paris was colder than Canada. I was also told the weather was still warm so I didn’t pack many long sleeves, but the mornings were still unbearably chilly. It wasn’t until I got back home that my dad informed me that many people living in Paris don’t use heat this early into the winter/fall seasons. He actually lived in Paris for quite some time, so I should have consulted him about the important things to know before going.